


Prom Night

by bookworm03



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, First Time, Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 09:59:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5371076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm03/pseuds/bookworm03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High School AU - Best Friends Leslie and Ben have an interesting end to senior prom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have had this written for a while and decided to post it.

Her dress is purple with layers of taffeta, her hair has long since fallen out of her up-do and she feels like she’s floating… 

Because Ben is piggy backing her through Harvey James Park and the stars are out and she’s had one and a half Miller Lite’s and her head is kind of fuzzy. It’s prom night for Pawnee Central and sneaking into a closed park after illegally consuming alcohol is definitely the most daring Leslie's ever felt before. 

“Did you have sex with Cindy?” she queries _super_ casually as Ben picks up speed down a hill, his arms snug around her thighs. One time she’d done this with Andy and he'd tripped and face planted and she’d gone flying over him and landed with a mouthful of dirt, but she’s not worried this time. Ben’s more cautious and he won’t drop her. 

He also looks amazingly cute in his tux and dancing with him for three songs had been way more awesome than making out with Harvey behind the school for five minutes before everyone dispersed. Harvey did this really weird thing with his tongue where it was like…trying to just flick the tip rapidly against her lip like a rattlesnake or something…It was strange. Was she supposed to like that? Was that a thing? She’ll have to ask Ann later. 

Ann’s off getting boned by Mark at Nick Newport’s lakehouse that Bobby invited everyone to, so maybe tomorrow. A year and a half ago that very thought would’ve made her cry but it didn’t now. Ben was way more awesome than Mark and didn’t tease her for caring a lot about things like grades and college and local government. Ann had told her to come along, but this was better than some post-prom rager where everyone would get sloppy and do stupid things. 

“Tonight?” he stops near the bottom of the slope and lets her slide to her feet. Her heels sink into the grass so she kicks them off and wiggles her toes between the dewy blades. It’s cool and amazing because her high heels were pinching her all night. 

“Or ever?” Leslie beams when Ben spreads out his rental tux jacket and motions for her to sit. He’s always quick to do this, let Leslie fill whatever space she needs on a blanket or beach towel before he folds in beside her. He’s by far the sweetest guy she’s ever met. She’s hardcore made out with three people in the last two years and none of them were as thoughtful as Ben, who managed to do so without acting like she was a China doll or something. 

Which was why she’d totally, secretly been harboring a crush on Ben since about six weeks after he moved from Partridge.

“Uh. Yeah…not…not tonight, but I did, yeah.” 

“How was it? How many times? Was she your first ever - ” 

“No.” 

Even in the moonlight, Leslie can see his cheeks tinge pink. His stilted response makes her wonder if it was rude to ask and yes, maybe he’s a guy, but he’s still her other best friend in the whole world and she would totally have this conversation with Ann. It’s not like she’s asking for a play-by-play

“I did it with a girl in Minnesota when I went back last summer. She was the…y’know.” 

“Your first.” 

“Yes,” he plunks down beside her and rubs his face. “Did you with Harvey - ?”

“No,” she balks. If only he knew how bad of a kisser Harvey is, but it would be mean to tell someone that and have it spread around the locker room or something. Harvey had been kind all night and even brought her a corsage and had given her a warm hug when she said she didn’t want to go to the party afterwards. 

“Oh,” he bites his lip. “Have you?” 

“No.” 

Some people were freaking out about going to college still virgins, but Leslie didn’t care. She isn’t having sex just for the sake of having sex, she’s doing it with someone she really likes and wants to be with like that…

Like, say, a cute, male best friend who says goodnight to a date he’s already had sex with to go sit in a park with her, and leaves his jacket on the ground to get grass stained so she won’t ruin her dress. 

“Oh,” he gulps and stretches out, half on the jacket, his arms behind his head. Leslie squirms and rests her cheek on his chest. His heart’s pounding, from carrying her probably, but he radiates heat through his bony, angular frame. 

“I don’t want to do it with someone just to say I did. Ann said the first couple of times are kind of strange and I don’t want to do that with someone I don’t care about.” 

“Oh.” 

Oh? Is that the only fucking word he knows right now? It’s logical! Ann agrees and Donna agrees and she’s not even eighteen yet, it’s not that big a deal she hasn’t done it. 

“Yeah, oh,” he mutters into her hair, sounding amused now. Crap, was she talking out loud? The beer was really screwing up her filter. Sometimes she thinks she’s yelling arguments in her head and really it’s happening out loud. 

“You smell good,” he declares out of the blue. What a random person Ben is. A random, cute, smirky, good-at-math, baseball playing, also good-smelling human who she’s seriously crazy into. 

“I do?” 

“Yeah, your shampoo or perfume or whatever. It’s nice. You always smell good. Cindy wears too much.” 

“Oh.” 

He’s grinning when she tilts her chin to look up at him. Smirky Minnesota-born bastard. 

His hand starts rubbing her arm and she sighs and cuddles him. It’s chilly for late spring and her dress is strapless but Ben’s warmth is leeching through him and spreading through the tips of her fingers and toes. 

“You uh, wanna wear my jacket?” 

“No no,” she squishes closer. “I’m warm now.” 

His arm curls around her snugly and she sighs. 

“I’m so proud of you for that scholarship.” 

It’s the truth. Ben got an almost full scholarship to Notre Dame and she’s so incredibly proud of him even if it means neither of her best friends will be at Indiana with her. 

His fingers tighten against her. “Thanks, but I kind of wish we were both going to the same place.” 

Gosh, why does it always feel like he’s inside her head? Ann can always read her emotions with impressive accuracy, but Ben plucks streams of consciousness from her thoughts and states them like they’re his own. Like they’re both thinking the same thing. 

“We’ll visit lots,” she pushes up on her elbow, her stomach twisting borderline-painfully with desire. His hair’s flopping over his brown eyes just right and he’s smiling crookedly at her. God, she’s got it so bad, she’s never liked a guy this much before. She loves every minute she spent with them, even when they’re arguing or he’s showing off doing calculus homework. 

Her hand snakes over his chest and she fingers his bowtie carefully. In movies it’s always sexy when girls start to undress guys so maybe that would turn him on so badly they could hardcore make out or something. 

_Mhmmm_ , making out with Ben. That sounds awesome. That’s how she wants prom night to end. 

“Prom’s over, Wyatt. Loosen up.” 

She tugs gently until it comes undone, dangling around his neck. Ben’s eyes slant and she feels him inhale under her palm as she tries to work through buttons of his shirt. Her fingers are twitching with nervousness and she swears when she can’t manage to maneuver the little, buttons through even littler holes. Ben sits up to help. 

They get three buttons undone with teamwork and then his fingers curl and their clasped hands rest against his sternum. Leslie exhales and goes back to resting on his arm. 

Okay yeah, that sexy plan kind of backfired, but they’re holding hands at least. 

“Why didn’t you go home with Harvey?” Ben whispers.

“I think he wanted to fool around and…” she bites her lip and squirms to look at him. “Please don’t tell anyone…” 

“Okay…?” 

“He’s…I did not enjoy his kissing technique.” 

“Oh,” she hits him when he smirks. “Ow! Les, I’m just…what was wrong with it?” 

“His tongue was very…aggressive. And flicky. And a little too…missing my mouth - but he’s a really nice person so please don’t say anything to anyone, okay? Some girls might like that.” 

“Maybe you should’ve given him some pointers.” 

She hits him playfully again and giggles into his neck. He stiffens and when Leslie looks up his eyes are a little wide. She feels him gulp but she’s unsure as to why. 

“Alright, Knope,” he half-stutters. “What was your favourite part of tonight?”  

“When we were dancing,” she admits. Ben’s mouth is in her hair when he responds and a shiver rolls through her. 

“Yeah?” 

Ugh. Totally. That’s totally the truth. 

“Uh huh. What was yours?” 

“This,” he pushes her hair off her face and her heart swells with affection and desire at the way the pads of his fingers caress her skin. God, Ben must’ve taken sexy lessons or something. 

“If you’re not that into Harvey, why didn’t you go to prom with me?” 

Leslie blushes, averting her gaze towards his feet. Her mouth goes dry. He totally - totally - has something going on inside his pants. Is he getting a boner? From what? From cuddling her? Was his penis into her? Was _Ben_ into her? 

She’s…sort of felt guys get a boner before. Kind of, not really; they usually try to hide it unless you’re planning on having sex according to Ann. 

Was that for _her_? Did Ben’s penis want to have sex with her? 

Leslie’s heart’s suddenly racing and she starts to feel clammy. Was Ben super into her too? Or just his penis? Ugh, so many questions…

What if…what if she just touched it? Just a little? It seemed like a nice, friendly penis that wanted to say hello to her. What if she just brushed her knuckles against it and see if he responded and then she’d have a better idea if it was Ben or just Ben’s penis that was into her - 

“Les?” 

Crap on a spatula, she’s been ignoring his question for a while. 

_Because I want to make out with you, not go with you as a friend only to be ditched later so you can bone Cindy…_

Although huh, it’s later and he isn’t boning Cindy. He’s with her. 

Oh screw it, it’s prom night and she’s had one and a half beers and helped unbutton his shirt, she’s touching his penis. What’s the worst that could happen? 

“Uh, I…I wanted to go with a date, not…” crap, his penis might be friendly but she’s nervous. She presses her face to his neck, his hips shift and a little groan plays in the base of his throat. 

“Not just with a friend.” 

“Oh.” 

“I mean I wanted…someone to…do date stuff with.” 

“Oh.” 

“You’re saying that word a lot tonight,” Leslie pushes up onto her elbow to study him and oops maybe her hand brushes the front of his slacks. Ben’s face suggests he might’ve just swallowed his tongue. 

“Whoa.” 

Damn right, whoa, Benjamin. She does it again, just the back of her hand over his zipper, and he squeezes his eyes shut. See? She could be sexy too. 

“I’d, I’d do date…date stuff with you.” 

“You would?” 

“Uh…uh huh,” her hand bumps his hip this time and he stutters. “That’s…that’s why I asked you to prom.”

“What do you mean?” she’s up on her knees now and Ben sits up with her. 

“I…didn’t want to go to prom with Cindy. I wanted to go with you,” he gulps and she lets her eyes travel downward and _whoa_ his penis is really happy to see her now.

“As…as a date.” 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah,” he rubs his face and lies back down. “Sorry if that’s…weird.” 

Her hand brushes his penis again, this time more overtly, and Leslie’s feeling deliciously wanton when she throws a leg over her hip and her purple dress covers both their lower halves and okay his penis is right against the center of her panties and hard and that feels…

Good. Rub her thighs together good. She’s still getting the hang of this whole masturbation thing, but this pressure feels…excellent.

Ben’s staring at her like she’s a Christmas present he can’t wait to unwrap. His jaw is slack, his eyes are wide and his hands slid to her hips reflexively. He groans when she pushes against his penis and the faint blush of his cheeks darkens. 

“Sorry.” 

She grins, delighting in his reaction even as anxiety trickles from the pit of her stomach down her spine and goosebumps appear everywhere. She’s on top of Ben and Ben’s penis and he wants to do stuff with her. This is huge. 

“Ben?” 

He doesn’t speak, his mouth is agape and he’s sliding his hands up her thighs in a way that makes her breath hitch. 

“What kind of date things would you do to me?” 

“Good lord,” a palm settles on either side of his waist, as if she’s a wild animal and he’s wary of sudden movements. That thought makes her giggle and she scoots forward, away from the pressure of his penis and against his belly. He swallows audibly. 

“Kiss me?” she suggests helpfully, butterflies raging against the walls of her stomach. He squeezes his eyes shut and nods. 

“Uh huh.” 

“Touch me?” 

He gulps again. “Uh huh.” 

“Fuck me?” 

Ben groans loudly and she swears his penis moves back there. 

“Not… not the first time.” 

_Whoa, where did that come from, Mr. Wyatt?_

“There would be more…times?” 

“I hope so.”

Okay, she’s sweating. She’s clammy. Her hands are shaking and if he hadn’t been holding her hips she might’ve fallen over. His long fingers are drawing patterns on her leg and goddammit, she loved this dress when she bought it with Ann but now it's getting in the way of his touch.

Holy shit, Ben’s touching her super sexily and wants to do date-stuff with her. Ann’s never going to believe this. 

“I like you. I…asked you to prom because I…like you like that.” 

_Oh my god, I’m totally in love with you._ Crap, Leslie, don’t say that.

“I…oh.” 

“Can…um…” he tugs gently on her waist and she lets her body fall forward towards his adorable face. Her forearms land on either side of his head and his lips find hers gently, soft, and barely there before the pressure gradually increases. He pulls back with a goofy smile and she can’t help but grin like a fool because wow, Ben kisses nicely. 

“Do you wanna…maybe do that…again.” 

“Uh,” his cheeks are red. “Yeah, I really do if you want to - ”

She cuts him off with a searing kissing and he presses back, his tongue slipping passed her lips and flicking the roof of her mouth. A tiny squeak escapes her throat and Ben shifts, his penis now fully against her. 

“Crap, sorry,” he breaks away panting. “Sorry, no…I…no pressure.” 

“It’s okay,” she melts when his fingers slide through her hair. “It’s okay. I like it.” 

His hand cups her jaw and his thumb pushes gently against her chin, opening her mouth to him and deepening the kiss. Her toes curl. Ben’s certainly no Harvey. 

When their lips break this time they’re smiling not so subtly and their breathing is ragged. 

“I like you so much.” 

“Yeah?” he tucks a curl behind her ear. “Me too. Do you wanna….stay out here?” 

“Can we?” It’s her favourite place in the world with one of her favourite people in the world, of course she wants to stay. 

He rubs her arms. “Yeah of course, it’s just…you don’t have sleeves.” 

He’s totally staring at her boobs. She giggles and dips her head to kiss him again. He sighs and slips her his tongue and they both groan in unison. He palms the back of her neck while his other hand inches under the hem of her dress. 

She shivers and his mouth trails across her jaw and down her neck. Ben sits up holding her waist and she sighs into his hair. 

“Wait, wait,” his hands go back to his shirt buttons and it’s off in a flash and she’s being helped into it, leaving Ben in nothing but an undershirt. He kisses the top of her breast chastely and slides his hands up her sides. Her fingers drag over the muscles in his arms from years of playing baseball and they flex and release under the contact. 

“I like kissing you,” she breathes into his hair. He smiles against her skin and every cell in her body seems to electrify at once. “I’m sorry I didn’t go to prom with you.” 

“It’s okay,” he slides his mouth across her collarbone and latches onto her pulse point. He suckles lightly until she moans and then increases the pressure. Leslie slides her hand into his hair and sighs, imagining the hickey she’ll have in the morning and letting that fill her with pleasure. Ben giving her a hickey sounds excellent. 

His mouth drags back to between her breasts and he eases her dress out of the way a little. Her panties flood with arousal and her insides pulse with need for him to fill her. 

Holy shit, she really, really, really wants to have sex with Ben. 

His palms cover her cheeks and he kisses her once, twice, three times in rapid succession, sharing a dopey grin before he gently tips her onto her back. He holds her head in one hand, smoothing out the fabric of his jacket and settling her on it. His head cranes and his mouth is hot on her neck again. 

“You’re really beautiful,” he whispers. “And smart and funny and I’m kind of crazy about you.” 

“Me too,” she murmurs, excitement bubbling so rapidly inside her she might burst. Ben grins crookedly and kisses her lips, his palms sliding up her sides and cupping her breasts through her dress. For several minutes they just kiss, tongues twining and flicking, hands running over shoulders, collarbones and whatever other bare skin they find; the wind rustles through the trees and the infrequent sound of a car passing by on the main road makes them freeze, but not stop. 

When Ben slides his hand down to her knee and then slowly inches under her dress Leslie’s breath catches in her throat. 

“Is…is that okay?” 

“Y-yes,” she smiles against his cheek and spreads her knees so he can fill them. Ben suckles on her lower lip and holds her eyes while his hand disappears under a curtain of purple taffeta. 

She whimpers when he ghosts across the outside of her panties and he groans. 

“Whoa, you’re…soaked.” 

“I told you I really like you,” she manages coyly, even though she’s dizzy at the very prospect of Ben touching her there. His lips nuzzle against her chin and then behind her ear. 

“I love you,” he kisses her earlobe and she starts to tremble. His head lifts to check her face and her vision blurs while his warm brown eyes burn into her. 

“Y-you do? Really?” she chokes out. Ben smiles and presses their lips together. 

“So much, Les.” 

“Like love me like a friend love me or love me like want to…” 

She laughs softly when she sees his face and he gestures between them. “Oh, right.” 

“I love you like I want you to be my girlfriend love you.” 

Nothing about his words seem contrived or disingenuous, instead they just scream honesty, (which Ben usually does, sometimes to the point of being a little mean). It’s as though, he’s been bottling this up for a lot longer than she realized and he’s finally worked up the nerve to say it. 

“Really!” she jumps up, she can’t help it. “Oh my god, Ben, I’ve wanted to go out with you forever - you seriously have no idea. That day we went to - ”

He cuts her off with a kiss. 

“I love you too,” she replies when he lets her breathe, because it’s so true and has been for a really long time. He recaptures her lips, one long finger still sliding against the crest of her thigh. They’re still kissing through smiles when his finger dips between her panties and he starts to slide over her. Leslie moans when he circles her entrance. 

“B-Ben,” she burrows her face into his neck as his thumb nudges her clit. “D-do you have a condom?” 

He groans audibly as his hand speeds up against, creating delicious friction. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you…want to - ?”

“Yes, please,” she arches into him, throws her head back and moans. Ben’s long finger dips inside her, rubbing the front of her wall and whoa that feels different. Strange, odd, but still pleasurable. She moans louder when he dips a second finger and increases the pressure. 

“Whoa.” 

“Okay?” 

 “Y-yeah,” her palms manage to cup his cheeks. She holds his face against hers. “Mhmmm, that’s good. You can…I think you can…” 

Ben drops his forehead to hers and moves his hand faster. “I want you to come, though.” 

“I’m ready though,” she whispers, she’s afraid if she waits too long she’ll lose her nerve. It’s nice out, the sky’s clear and her eyes are flitting between a blanket of stars and Ben’s soft eyes and angular jaw. She was slick with arousal and she just wants him inside her now. They could do other stuff later. 

Ben sighs and kisses her nose, pulling back to undo his pants. He fumbles for a few minutes to get the condom on and slides his lips over hers when he returns. 

“Still…ready…want to?” 

“Uh huh.” 

Her whole body is shaking, trembling, seizing practically, but she’s determined. She feels beautiful, she’d danced the night away with her best friends, they’re in her favourite place in the world and Ben just confessed his love for her. This is happening. 

“Les,” he kisses her neck wetly. “You’re uh…you’re shaking pretty bad.” 

“I want to.” She totally does, so why is her stupid voice breaking? “I really want to, I promise.” 

Ben looks unconvinced, but he kisses her nose and rolls them gently so she’s back to straddling him. 

“Okay,” he wraps his hand around the base of his cock. “You’re the boss, babydoll.” 

Her throat’s tight as he brushes against her opening. His eyes roll back in his head, but Ben’s other hand remains firmly, reassuringly on her hip. Leslie lifts up on her knees, swallows hard and slowly lowers herself onto him. 

It’s…a lot. Everything’s burning and there’s intense pressure and her breathing’s very ragged as he slowly fills her up completely. Her eyes water - just a touch - even though it’s not really painful, more uncomfortable and overwhelming. Ben rubs her thighs when he’s fully inside her and props up on his elbows. 

“C’mere a minute,” the hand on her hip slides to her hair and he kisses her softly on the mouth and then the forehead. 

“Okay?” 

“Uh huh.” 

“You wanna move a little?” 

“Okay.” 

He lies back down but takes her with him with another brush of his mouth over hers. She starts to rock her hips and he groans. 

“That alright?” 

“Yeah,” he whispers. “Oh god, yeah.” 

“What does it feel like?” 

“Uh,” he reaches up under her dress and palms her ass. “What?” 

“For you,” she murmurs. “Tell me what it feels like.” 

“Uhh, tight,” he grunts and arches into her slightly. “Really tight.” 

She kisses his throat. 

“Hot. Wet,” 

“G-good?” She should be able to tell by his face he’s enjoying it, but she wants to know if she - her, specifically - feels good to him. Ben groans and nuzzles her arm. 

“Yeah baby, it feels amazing.” 

_Whoa_. That’s the most ridiculously sexy sentence anyone has ever uttered and she doesn’t even like the idea of someone calling her baby. 

She tries to move again but her hips aren’t rocking and everything feels awkward. The burning has turned to a numbness and her knees are slipping against against polyester.

“B-Ben,” she presses her face to his neck. “Help me.” 

“O-oh!” he peppers his lips over whatever skin he can reach and nods. “Yeah yeah yeah.” 

He shifts carefully and rolls them back so she’s spread out over his tuxedo jacket that’s definitely going to have grass stains on it. Their lips press together and his hips start to move. Ben’s fingers press into her hip and he adjusts her leg against him, rocking shallowly. 

“You’re really beautiful.” 

She smiles and sighs, arching her back because numbness has turned pleasant and a delicious warmth is coiling deep in her belly. 

“Okay?” he tilts her chin and kisses her neck. 

“Uh huh. Are you close - ”

“Yeah,yeah,yeah,” his mouth bumps against hers and his hand snakes between them. She gasps. 

“B-Ben? I th-think that’s…enough for now.” 

His eyes go wide, but he nods and kisses her shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever you…” 

She grabs his hand from between her legs, whimpering when she tastes her own slickness against her lips. 

“No, I want you to…I just, come.” 

His lips land back on hers and he nods, groaning softly as he picks up the pace and then shudders on top of her and slows to a stop. 

Ben doesn’t pull out right away. His arm slips under her and his mouth slides all over her face while asking three more times if she’s okay. Leslie nods while he brushes her hair back and she let’s out a shaky laugh. Ben grins, forehead settling against hers. 

“HEY! What are you guys doing over there!?” a flashlight’s on them in time for Leslie to see the blood drain from Ben’s face. She peers to the right as one of Pawnee’s finest starts jogging towards them. 

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Ben babbles, pulling out so quickly she winces. It’s Ben’s turn to shake, but Leslie just let’s out a euphoric cackle, grabs her shoes and Ben’s hand. 

“RUN!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovely people. I wrote this as one big thing, so instead of dragging it out I figured I'd just post the continuation right away. Thanks for reading!

“ _RUN!_ ” 

“Uh - Whoa!” Ben yelps, his clammy palm tight in hers as she takes off across the grass. 

“Oh my god, we’re so dead,” Ben pants behind her. “Oh god, Leslie, I can’t go to jail. Ohhh my god, I can’t - it’s a COP, Leslie!” 

“It’s fine, it’s fine, just run - ” She squawks as he takes off ahead, his long legs taking full strides and dragging her along with him. 

“LESLIE KNOPE! I SEE YOU!” the flashlight lands on them and she shrieks. 

“Go!” she shoves him dramatically. “I’ve been made! Go on without me!” 

“I’m not leaving you to - oh god,” Ben skids to a stop as they reach the road and starts to tremble uncontrollably. He doesn’t let go of her hand though, which is actually super romantic, because he’s seriously losing his shit. 

“ _Leslie_ ,” Officer Trevor Atkins, one of Pawnee’s Finest, sighs as he reaches them. “Dammit, Leslie, you know better than this. Public indecency, being in the park after closing - ”

“Well,” she squares her shoulders indignantly. “You…listen here, Officer Atkins! I am a citizen of this great town and the parks are…for everyone and the Bill of Rights says I can have sex with whoever I want, whenever I - ”

“LESLIE!” Ben looks like he might faint. 

Oh crap on a cracker, she’d totally just admitted to the police she’d had sex in the park. There goes plausible deniability. Also, in this particular moment she’s not even a hundred percent certain the Bill of Rights says that. 

“What’s your name, buddy?” The flashlight lands on Ben’s pallor complexion. His eyes bulge and he gulps four times in rapid succession, a vice grip on her now. 

“B-Ben. Wyatt.” 

Trevor sighs. “You know I have to take you to your mom, right Leslie?” 

“Why!” she snaps. “I’m almost eighteen and Ben’s eighteen and - ”

“Wait, you’re eighteen, Wyatt? And you had sex with a minor?” 

Now Ben’s an ugly shade of green. Leslie reaches over and shoves Trevor. 

“Don’t scare him! You’re being ridiculous!” 

Trevor looks a little too amused when he holds out an arm and holsters his flashlight. 

“Let’s go kids.” 

She puts her shoes on when they hit pavement, keeping hold of Ben’s extremely sweaty hand. He looks so silly in a tuxedo jacket and undershirt while his dress shirt is still around her. She’s pretty sure his bowtie fell off sometime during their sprint and his hair’s mussed up from her fingers running through it. 

“It’ll be fine,” she promises. Ben’s eyes are on the ground and he doesn’t return her reassuring squeeze. 

He doesn’t say anything as they walk to Trevor’s patrol car. Her insides are still tingling and burning just a little from where he’d been and she really wishes she could just sink into his embrace and kiss him. She would’ve stayed in the park all night just talking and cuddling. 

Leslie presses her lips to his cheek and Ben flinches and tugs away. She frowns as Trevor opens the back door and motions for her to slide in. Ben climbs in beside her. 

“Ben,” she takes both of his hands. “It’s going to be fine, okay? It’s not that big a deal - ”

“We’re under arrest, Leslie!” he hisses. “Good lord, it’s a big deal. We should’ve just gone…somewhere.” 

Trevor climbs in the driver’s seat and glances in the rearview mirror. 

“Your mom home, Leslie?” 

“No.” 

Trevor glances back as the reach a stop sign. 

“Jesus, Leslie, why wouldn’t you just go to your house then?” 

“Parks are my favourite place in the whole world and I wasn’t in the mood to go to my house - ”

“Will you be quiet!” Ben snaps. Leslie spins and stares at him. That stings. That definitely stings. You shouldn’t have sex with someone and then yell at them to be quiet, even if you are freaking out. 

“Ben,” the tears are prickling the corners of her eyes, but she persists. “Don’t…my mom won’t be that upset. Please don’t…” 

She leans in and peppers his cheek with kisses, tilting his chin to meet her lips. 

“OH MY GOD, WILL YOU STOP! WE’RE UNDER ARREST, LESLIE!” 

“You’re not under arrest, geeze, chill out. We can call your mom when we get to the station, Leslie.” 

“Ohhh my god, my dad’s gonna kill me,” Ben releases her hand and drops his head in his. Leslie feels the tears building faster now, not because they’re in the back of a cop car, but because Ben’s obviously mad at her when all she wants is to cuddle him. She inhales his scent from the fabric of his shirt and rests her head against the cool glass. Tonight was not supposed to end like this. 

 The drive is short and they shuffle into the police station, directed to some plastic chairs while Trevor calls her mom. Ben’s head goes back to his hands and he groans. 

“This is my nightmare.” 

“It’ll be fine,” she tries to reassure him even though she’s kind of a little pissed she’s the only one being reassuring here. 

“No, Leslie, it won’t. Your mom’s on her way over because we just…in a _park_ , god how stupid could we be? Why didn’t we just go to your…” 

“I’m sorry!” she snaps. “I’m very sorry! Okay? It’s all my fault, I get it.” 

“I didn’t say that - ”

“It kind of seems like you did, Benjamin! It takes two to tango, sir - ” 

“Okay, okay,” he stutters and shifts his chair closer. It scratches on the floor and Trevor looks up. “I’m sorry. It's not your fault.” 

His hand retrieves hers and he kisses her knuckles. 

“Did you mean what you said or did you just say it to get in my pants?” 

Ben’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Of course I meant it, you don’t think I’d do that just to…do you?” 

“No,” she admits, and then demands. “Say it again.” 

“I love you,” it’s barely audible, but it makes her smile. “Are you…from that…are you, uh…I mean…did I hurt you…or…” 

Her smile grows as she shakes her head. 

“I’m okay.” 

Ben bumps his forehead against hers and they stay like that, holding hands until her mother arrives. 

“Oh good god,” Marlene’s sharp tone cuts through whatever moment they’re having. She’s wearing a smart blouse and slacks, her car keys dangling in her hand. The frustration of the evening threatens to boil over when her mother’s lips twitch with amusement. 

“Hi Mom. I’m - ”

“Aren’t you two a pair,” she drawls. “Okay, up, let’s go. I’ll take you home Ben.” 

“Mom, I’m really sorry - ”

“In a park, really Leslie?”  

“I’m sorry!” 

“What the hell are you…” she plucks at the crisp cotton dress shirt and snorts. “Well, at least he gave you the shirt off his back.” 

 “Uh, Mrs. Griggs-Knope - ”

“Marlene,” she rolls her eyes. 

“Right, we are really…I am really…so sorry…about…” 

“Having sex with my daughter in a public place?” 

Ben turns green again and lowers his eyes. Leslie takes his hand and this time he squeezes back. 

“Thanks for bailing us out - ”

“It’s fine,” she waves them off. “I got a date out of it.” 

“I thought you were on a date…” 

“You can have sex in a park and I can’t go out with two different men?” Marlene lifts an eyebrow at Leslie. “In the car, please.” 

Leslie slumps into the backseat and Ben climbs in after her, pressing their arms together. He even offers a little smile, obviously happy to see the police station behind them. 

“Your dad or your mom’s, Ben?” 

“Dad,” he gulps. Leslie looks surprised, but decides not to question it. Instead she rests her cheek on his arm and sighs. She catches only glimpses of his face through the glow of the street lamps, but his jaw has unclenched from what she can tell.

“Don’t forget to give him his shirt back, Leslie.” 

“You can keep it if you’re cold,” he whispers, but Marlene hears him. 

“It’s a two minute drive, Ben. She’ll survive, don’t be so dramatic.” 

That’s Marlene Griggs-Knope, making a sweetly romantic gesture seem unnecessarily over-the-top. They don’t say anything else for the rest of the drive, but Leslie - finally - stays cuddled against Ben until they pull up in front of his dad’s house. She spots Henry’s car and glances up. He shrugs. 

“Dad’s out,” he whispers. 

“Should I tell your parents what happened? I can call tomorrow…” 

He’s green again. Marlene erupts in a cackle and dismisses him with a wave of her hand. 

“Goodnight, Ben,” she clears her throat. “Why don’t you walk him to the door, honey?” 

Leslie doesn’t wait for Ben to agree, just grabs his hand and yanks him out of the car. They swing hands as they stroll up the walkway. The porch light turns on and the door opens. 

“Well hey there, lovebirds,” Henry grins. “Heard you had a busy night.” 

Leslie’s face grows hot. 

“How did you - ”

“Jordan’s a cop now, he was working the desk when you guys got brought in,” his mouth is twisted and he’s clearly trying not to snicker at them. 

“You look pretty, Les.” 

“Thanks,” she rubs her forehead, peeling off the dress shirt and handing it to Ben. Henry rolls his eyes, reaching out and ruffling Ben’s hair. 

“Surely you could’ve done better than this clown.” 

Ben shoves him hard and Henry stumbles with a snort. 

“I’ll order pizza and you can tell me all about it and I’ll tell you how to be better at it next time,” he winks knowingly at Leslie and the vomit she’s kept at bay this entire time starts to rise in the back of her throat.

“Ew, _no_ ,” Ben pushes his brother inside and tugs the door closed in front of him. Ben sighs, rubbing Leslie’s now bare arms. 

“So that…” he claws at his cheek. “I’m so sorry about…all of that, and for yelling.” 

“It wasn’t your fault. We should’ve gone inside,” she admits sadly, glancing at the car where her mom is waiting. “I better go.” 

“Kay,” he slides his hands up to her neck. “I’ll call you tomorrow?” 

“Okay,” she smiles when he dips down and pecks the corner of her mouth. So much for her perfect end to prom night. Not that she wanted him to full on make out with her on his porch with her mom watching, but a real kiss would’ve been nice. Ben waits outside until she’s in the car and gives a little wave as she slides into the passenger seat and turns to her mother. 

“Well? When did that happen?” 

Leslie stares at her. “Um…around eleven-thirty?” 

“Not the sex, Leslie, you and Ben. You’ve been denying that for ages - ”

“That…that was it. We went to prom with other people and that was the first…”

Her mother finds this way too hilarious and she’s practically got tears in her eyes from laughter when they turn the corner to their street. 

“You had sex with him in public twenty minutes after you admitted you liked each other?” 

_Well, when she put it like that…_

“Oh, sweetheart,” Marlene’s hand reaches out to pat her knee. “Are you okay?” 

“Embarrassed,” she admits. “I should have known better. I’m almost an adult.” 

“You’re really not,” Marlene squeezes. “You’re a teenager and you were a little careless. Frankly, I’m surprised and…” her lips curve into a smile. “It happens. I didn’t think you had it in you, honestly.” 

“To…have sex in a park?” 

“To act like a teenager,” Marlene pats her leg. “You’ll beat yourself up over it more than I ever could. How was it, anyway?" 

“Mom!” 

“I’m just…curious! It’s not the be all and end all, but it’s significant.” 

Leslie sighs as they pull into their driveway. Marlene, not exactly known for her overt affection, leans over and presses her lips to Leslie’s forehead. 

“The most important thing is he respected you.” 

“He did,” she smiles a little and wishes she still had Ben’s shirt just to feel less alone. 

“Leslie,” Marlene shifts. “I’m not upset, alright? As long as you’re okay this…this is not that big a deal.” 

“Oh my god,” realization suddenly hits her. “What if I can never be President now that I’ve been arrested - ”

Marlene rolls her eyes yet again. 

“You weren’t arrested, first of all, so it’s not even on record. Second of all, no one’s going to care you had sex in a park when you were seventeen with your best friend, and third of all, if they do care you can point out that they wouldn’t if you had a penis.” 

“I had one and a half beers too.” 

Marlene laughs loudly and motions for her to walk inside. 

 “That probably helped with the sex, didn’t it?” 

“MOM!” 

The door closes behind them and Marlene flicks the lock. 

“Up until Trevor showed up, did you have fun tonight? Prom? Afterwards?” 

“Yes,” she swallows hard. Everything had been pretty perfect until then. 

“Great,” Marlene leans over and kisses her forehead again. God, this is a weird night. “I’m going to bed. Don’t stay up too late.” 

“Okay. I might - ”

“There’s still that batter in the fridge from yesterday for pancakes.” 

Leslie manages a little smile as her mother ascends the stairs. She feels a bit better now, though still embarrassed, at least her mom isn’t upset with her and is still confident she can reach the highest office in the country even with a sex scandal and public indecency almost-charges under her belt. 

She makes a batch of pancakes and eats them in front of the news, a little uneven and needing to call Ann. Would she sleep at Bobby’s place or come home tonight? He probably has enough beds and space for most people and maybe they’d all be really drunk or something… 

Ugh, how early is too early to call? Seven? Adults would be up by seven, right? And she could just ask them to ask Ann to call her when she got home - _immediately_ when she got home and then Leslie could tell her everything about the night from hell. How can one of the most significant events of her teenager years happen on a night when Ann is unreachable and Ben’s an inappropriate substitute? This is a travesty. 

Mr. Perkins is not pleased to hear from her at 7:02AM. He snaps - quite heatedly - and tells Leslie it’s a ridiculous time to phone people on a Saturday and Ann will call when she calls. Leslie hangs up with a sigh and breaks open an emergency bag of marshmallows that she eats with CNN playing in the background, not even really hearing what’s being said. She can’t stop obsessing over every detail of the night before, can’t help wondering what would’ve happen if they hadn’t been interrupted. Would they have cuddled for a while? Would Ben have come home with her? Her mom was supposed to be out most - if not all - of the night, so he totally could’ve slept over and… 

Was he regretting it? Cops terrified him, yes, but was he regretting everything up until that point? Things always look different in the cold light of day and maybe he’s wishing they hadn’t… Maybe he’s missing Cindy or something now… 

That thought makes her slink upstairs and she listens to nothing but her thoughts for a good hour before she hears her mom up and puttering around. 

At nine-thirty Marlene pokes her head in. 

“Still in bed?” she asks casually as if nothing had happened last night. “Are you feeling okay?” 

Her stomach’s in knots and she wants to cry for no reason, but Leslie nods anyway and manages a smile. 

“I’m okay.” 

Marlene lifts an eyebrow. “Well, I have to go out for a few hours. Will you be alright by yourself?” 

“Uh huh,” Ann would call soon, hopefully. By lunch time at the latest. 

“I’ll let you know when I’m leaving.” 

Marlene doesn’t even comment on or roll her eyes at Leslie’s maudlin state. 

*****

Ann calls at eleven-thirty, while Marlene’s vacuuming the main floor and Leslie still hasn’t slept a wink. Not that that’s unusual for her, but even her favourite _Eighty Years & More_ isn’t capturing her interest. 

“What _happened_?” Ann sounds perplexed. “I told you you should’ve come to Bobby’s!” 

“Well, waiting around for you to hook up with Mark wouldn’t have changed anything!” 

Except she wouldn’t have had sex with Ben. Harvey might’ve tried to make out with her more instead. 

“Ouch,” Ann sounds notably hurt. “You know I wouldn’t have ditched you for a guy, Les - ”

“I know, I know, Ann, you noble land mermaid. I’m sorry, I’m being a grouch.” 

“Start from the beginning,” she can practically hear Ann settling on her mattress. “Last I saw you was outside the school when Harvey wanted to go to that after party and you decided to go home.” 

“Yes,” Leslie gulps. 

“But Harvey still wanted to go, so Ben said he could take you home - oh no,” Ann groans. “What happened?” 

Leslie erupts. 

“We went through Harvey James Park and were just lying on his jacket and talking about prom and then we started talking about…he told me he likes me like I like him and we had sex and then Trevor Atkins caught us and we had to run away and then he caught us anyway and they took us to the station and my mom had to come pick us up and it was awful and Ben was freaking out and I think he’s kind of mad at me and then we took him home and I haven’t talked to him since and now _I’m_ freaking out.” 

“Oh god,” Ann groans into her hand. “Why did you have sex in the park, wasn’t your mom supposed to be gone all night - ?”

“Because it was romantic, Ann! Sex outside is romantic!” 

“Ugh,” Ann sighs. “It’s really not, it’s kind of overrated.”  

“Well, it was! This was!” She’s adamant because she finally speaks from experience and it had been super romantic and okay, maybe there’d been a twig in her back and a mattress would’ve been way comfier than Ben’s coat and she would’ve been a lot warmer under covers, but it had been amazing and sweet, and regardless of what happened with Ben she would remember it fondly forever. 

“Okay, okay,” Ann sighs with a touch of exasperation. “Tell me everything.” 

Leslie tells Ann _everything_ down to the last, grittiest detail (which was she had no idea what happened to the condom when they ran). Ann listens mostly, voices her approval intermittently and groans when appropriate. 

“Oh, Les.” 

“I know, I know, I’m freaking out.” 

“I’m sure you guys will work it out. It doesn’t sound like he’s freaking out about the sex, just the cop thing.” 

“I think he’s mad at me because I wanted to stay outside.” 

“You know he’s weird about cops though, I’m sure once everything calms down and he realizes he’s not going to jail for…that…he’ll be fine.” 

“But what if he’s - ”

“Leslie!” Her mother calls. “Can you come downstairs please?” 

“Crap, my mom wants me. Can you…” she cradles the phone between her ear and shoulder and heads for the door. “One sec Ann, yeah Mom, what’s…” 

She trails off because the front door is open and Ben’s totally standing in it with flowers. 

“Ann, Ann, Ann,” she hisses. “Ben’s here.” 

“What?!” 

“He’s holding flowers.” 

“Oh god, I toooooold you it would be fine. Go. Call me later.” 

“Okay, bye, love you…” she hangs up quickly. “Good afternoon, Benjamin!” (Why does she have a British accent now?) “To what doeth we oweth the pleasure?” 

“You are ill,” Marlene snorts. “Officer Atkins swung by when you were upstairs because he found Ben’s tie in the park. He thought you could give it to him, so I called Ben and let him know.” 

Leslie sets the phone on the stairs and descends carefully, really wishing she’d brushed out her curls a bit or at least put a bra on. Ben looks up sheepishly and pushes his hair out of his eyes. 

“Hey.” 

“H-hey,” she swallows hard as she approaches him. Ben hands her the bouquet with a sideways glance at Marlene. 

“These are for you. Obviously.” 

“Thanks,” she touches a petal. “They’re pretty.” 

She doesn’t even care what kind of flowers they are or where he got them. A gesture has never mattered more. 

“Ben was just telling me he found out how much of a scholarship Indiana is giving him and decided to go there instead of Notre Dame.” 

Leslie’s mouth pops open in disbelief. Her throat thickens. “You’re… _what_?” 

Ben shrugs. “Indiana covers more of my tuition and I…I mean it was a toss-up, obviously, but - ”

Her legs move of their own volition and Leslie flings herself at him, still holding the flowers as she wraps her arms tightly around his neck. Ben rubs her waist and squeezes back. Marlene’s back to looking amused when they part. 

“Oh, to be seventeen again,” she clucks her tongue. “I’m going out now and will be back around…” she checks her watch. “Three. Whatever activities you choose to engage in, please be safe about them.” 

“Mom!” Leslie nudges her, but almost smiles a little because Ben’s arm is totally still around her waist. 

“Okay, have a good time, see you later!” 

The door closes and Ben drags her against his chest. 

“Fuck, I’m _so sorry_ about…” 

“Please don’t say you regret it because look, I know the park was probably a bad call but I really…up until we got…I was really glad we’d…” 

“Me too.” 

He tilts her head back and appears to inhale sharply before he slides his lips over hers. 

“Hi,” he kisses her again. “I’m…are you okay? I, seriously…I am so sorry. That was not how I wanted that to go at all.”

“You thought about…that…” he’s rubbing her arms soothingly and cups her face. 

“Well not…specifically that, but yes…” he swallows. “I meant…what I said…all of those…things. And I would’ve…reiterated that had we…had some time after.” 

Lips come to rest against her brow and she sighs. “I’m really happy,” she tucks her arms under his with a smile. 

“Good. Me too,” he exhales. “I felt horrible leaving you alone after…I mean I meant to, I would’ve liked to…if you wanted me to I would’ve liked to stay with you.” 

“Well,” she rubs his sides. “I’d have liked that too. And if you’re seriously going to Indiana then we can do that…a lot.” 

“Cuddle all night?” 

“And have sex.” 

Ben laughs softly against her ear before his lips capture hers again. “I didn’t sleep at all, by the way. Wanna go take a nap?” 

“Uh huh.” 

“And,” he licks his lips. “Possibly, if you were into that, we could try…doing that again? Or maybe…something else?” 

He’s so sweet, but he really just needs to make out with her on her face. She yanks on his shirt and kisses him hard, sliding her tongue over his and squealing when he lifts her up easily. Her legs wrap around his waist as he heads for the stairs, and the whole thing’s just so, stupidly sexy she can barely stand it. 

“You’re strong,” she murmurs. “Must be all the baseball.” 

“Mhmm,” he grins into her mouth. “You’re just tiny.” 

She giggles and kisses his nose as he steers her towards the bed. 

“Alright,” he kicks her door shut. “Which would you like to do first - ”

“Sex stuff.” 

Ben groans and works his lips down her neck. 

“Awesome.” 

It totally is.


End file.
